I am enormously inspired by 2d painting and painters. They use just photoshop to create beautiful works. I work in 3d visualization and to create beautiful images you also get allot of technical challenges along with it (complex programs, hardware software limitations etc)

Seeing those incredible works like www.goodbrush.com reminds me that it is not about the tools (he uses a photoshop hard brush for most of his work) or the technique but about observation. Seeing colours and contrast for what it really is and why certain things work universally. And that composition IS very important more so than a super detailed model or a high res texture.

I noticed that lots of experienced artist keep telling to do classical art before 3d etc. For the longest time i kind of though it was to show of. Guess you just start to see the truth in that when you know all the technical skills and your images still look like rubbish
I tried some modest painting my self and allot of reading and it helped my image making skills enormously.

I promised some friends to send them my links on the subject so i might as well post it here:

http://sv3.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/printthread.php?t=105003
http://www.finearteducation.com/
http://www.tascha.ch/index.php/Tutorial/Tutorials.html
http://www.wade.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/tutorial5.htm
http://forums.sijun.com/viewtopic.php?t=31697
http://forums.sijun.com/viewtopic.php?t=31438
http://www.carloscabrera.com.ar/tutorials/
http://itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm <--VERY GOOD ONE
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=364477
http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=60753
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=227727 <--i am a big fanboy of linda's work!
http://www.mattiassnygg.com/tutorials/tut3.htm


masters (imho)
http://www.dusso.com/
http://www.goodbrush.com/ <--all time favorite (take a close look he only uses hard brush in photoshop)
http://www.furiae.com/index.php?view=gallery <--lindas site
http://www.cafesale.net/bengal/gallery_color03.php3 <--cool style
http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/ <--more from itchy studios
http://miyagu.cgsociety.org/gallery/
http://www.warda-art.com/

theory
http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/light.htm
http://24ways.org/2006/photographic-palettes
http://www.colorjack.com/studio/#
http://kuler.adobe.com/
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Articles2/135/120/index.php <--very very useful
http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=3275&page=1 <--also composition


portals
http://www.wetcanvas.com/
http://www.sumaleth.com/links/
http://digitalart.org
http://www.gfxartist.com
http://www.eatpoo.com/
http://www.conceptart.org/
http://www.epilogue.net/index.php
http://forums.sijun.com/
http://www.artrenewal.org/
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=870 <-- this is amazing following a guy learning to draw. See the first page and the last!!)